11 year olds, huge constipation issues

[Henriette93]

Hi! I have twin boys that's 11 years old. They were born premature in week 29.
Ever since they were born, they've had trouble with constipation. They don't seem to have stomach pain, they rarely complain. But their stool is really large, I mean huge! And the problem seems to get worse with age. They eat mostly peat friendly, but it doesn't help.
I spent an hour this evening unclogging the toilet after my son went to the toilet. Their feces is 5 times larger than mine, at least, and they often clog the toilet.. They also seem to have trouble holding gas inside, and that can be quite embarrassing for them..

Cascara helps a bit, nothing else does. But I don't feel comfortable giving them cascara too often. The problem seems to be the size of the stool, it's really huge.. It can get as big as 8+ cm in diameter, bigger than a zucchini. It seems like the stool is getting clogged in their intestines, growing, until it's too big and forced out..

I've been told by doctors that there is nothing they can do about it, but it has never been properly checked. I don't want to risk colonoscopy. The problem is getting worse and I really want this to be checked properly. Anyone have any suggestions to what I should do? How should I get this checked without colonoscopy? Since they both have the same problem, I guess it's a side effect of being born very prematurely or something. It doesn't seem to be much affected by what they eat, I feel like there is something wrong with their colon or something..

 

[redsun]

Hi! I have twin boys that's 11 years old. They were born premature in week 29.
Ever since they were born, they've had trouble with constipation. They don't seem to have stomach pain, they rarely complain. But their stool is really large, I mean huge! And the problem seems to get worse with age. They eat mostly peat friendly, but it doesn't help.
I spent an hour this evening unclogging the toilet after my son went to the toilet. Their feces is 5 times larger than mine, at least, and they often clog the toilet.. They also seem to have trouble holding gas inside, and that can be quite embarrassing for them..

Cascara helps a bit, nothing else does. But I don't feel comfortable giving them cascara too often. The problem seems to be the size of the stool, it's really huge.. It can get as big as 8+ cm in diameter, bigger than a zucchini. It seems like the stool is getting clogged in their intestines, growing, until it's too big and forced out..

I've been told by doctors that there is nothing they can do about it, but it has never been properly checked. I don't want to risk colonoscopy. The problem is getting worse and I really want this to be checked properly. Anyone have any suggestions to what I should do? How should I get this checked without colonoscopy? Since they both have the same problem, I guess it's a side effect of being born very prematurely or something. It doesn't seem to be much affected by what they eat, I feel like there is something wrong with their colon or something..

Its just caused by constipation. The chance of obstructions in both children is very low. Higher fat intakes especially animal fats should help and children should be eating plenty of animal fats anyways, such as eggs (the yolks are high in fat), dark meat chicken with the fat on such as wings, drumsticks, thighs, bacon, sausage, ground beef and other fatty types of fatty meat. Too much dairy can be constipating but of course children need some just be mindful it should not the main protein in a child's diet. Main protein should be meats, eggs, dairy secondary. Choline which is also especially high in egg yolks but also present in decent quantities in fatty meats like mentioned above will also improve motility. Vitamin C rich fruits like citrus if they aren't already consuming them. They also tend to be high in magnesium which will help. Zinc can also help but will be obtained from red meat and dark chicken meat.

Otherwise if still this does nothing, unless you have x-ray vision, there is no other way to take a look inside without colonscopy.

 

[EvanHinkle]

Hi! I have twin boys that's 11 years old. They were born premature in week 29.
Ever since they were born, they've had trouble with constipation. They don't seem to have stomach pain, they rarely complain. But their stool is really large, I mean huge! And the problem seems to get worse with age. They eat mostly peat friendly, but it doesn't help.
I spent an hour this evening unclogging the toilet after my son went to the toilet. Their feces is 5 times larger than mine, at least, and they often clog the toilet.. They also seem to have trouble holding gas inside, and that can be quite embarrassing for them..

Cascara helps a bit, nothing else does. But I don't feel comfortable giving them cascara too often. The problem seems to be the size of the stool, it's really huge.. It can get as big as 8+ cm in diameter, bigger than a zucchini. It seems like the stool is getting clogged in their intestines, growing, until it's too big and forced out..

I've been told by doctors that there is nothing they can do about it, but it has never been properly checked. I don't want to risk colonoscopy. The problem is getting worse and I really want this to be checked properly. Anyone have any suggestions to what I should do? How should I get this checked without colonoscopy? Since they both have the same problem, I guess it's a side effect of being born very prematurely or something. It doesn't seem to be much affected by what they eat, I feel like there is something wrong with their colon or something..

This might be something that you’ve already tried, but prunes are typically helpful for both my little ones when they get stopped up. You can try stewing your own and adding a bunch of sugar or whatever they like, (honey, maple syrup, etc) or there are organic packets of them as well which are nice on the go snacks.

When they get sick of prunes I’ll rotate in raisins as well. They also seem to help. Another, less Peaty option, is Annie’s organics has honey bunny rabbit graham crackers. They do have some pufa, but vitamin E is the preservative used in them so it’s better than nothing. Again, to mix it up, I make what I call “trail mix” and add a few of the bunny rabbit “cookies” to the raisins or dried prunes or dates.

 

[Henriette93]

Its just caused by constipation. The chance of obstructions in both children is very low. Higher fat intakes especially animal fats should help and children should be eating plenty of animal fats anyways, such as eggs (the yolks are high in fat), dark meat chicken with the fat on such as wings, drumsticks, thighs, bacon, sausage, ground beef and other fatty types of fatty meat. Too much dairy can be constipating but of course children need some just be mindful it should not the main protein in a child's diet. Main protein should be meats, eggs, dairy secondary. Choline which is also especially high in egg yolks but also present in decent quantities in fatty meats like mentioned above will also improve motility. Vitamin C rich fruits like citrus if they aren't already consuming them. They also tend to be high in magnesium which will help. Zinc can also help but will be obtained from red meat and dark chicken meat.

Otherwise if still this does nothing, unless you have x-ray vision, there is no other way to take a look inside without colonscopy.

They do drink al0ot

 

[redsun]

They do drink al0ot

They should not be. Too much milk alone can also increase constipation. Actually it can be incredibly constipating for some people. They need to be eating primarily meat and eggs for proteins. You need to make a major switch in their diet from primarily milk/dairy to primarily fatty animal protein.

 

[Henriette93]

Its just caused by constipation. The chance of obstructions in both children is very low. Higher fat intakes especially animal fats should help and children should be eating plenty of animal fats anyways, such as eggs (the yolks are high in fat), dark meat chicken with the fat on such as wings, drumsticks, thighs, bacon, sausage, ground beef and other fatty types of fatty meat. Too much dairy can be constipating but of course children need some just be mindful it should not the main protein in a child's diet. Main protein should be meats, eggs, dairy secondary. Choline which is also especially high in egg yolks but also present in decent quantities in fatty meats like mentioned above will also improve motility. Vitamin C rich fruits like citrus if they aren't already consuming them. They also tend to be high in magnesium which will help. Zinc can also help but will be obtained from red meat and dark chicken meat.

Otherwise if still this does nothing, unless you have x-ray vision, there is no other way to take a look inside without colonscopy.

But they have been constantly constipated since they were born.. If I don't give them cascara, they are constipated. They are very used to it, unfortunately, but it normally doesn't bother them too much. Some periods are worse, like now. But they are always constipated and have really large stool.
Their main source of proteins are red meat, pork, eggs etc, but they do drink alot of milk too. 3-4 glasses of whole milk every day. But they also drink orange juice every day, and they are getting a lot of fat. Coconut oil, butter, high fat diary, fatty meat. They eat clementines every day, drink OJ, yoghurt, potatoes, carrots. I've stopped giving them bread, and they consume very little pufa. They also eat white fish, but could be more often.
I give them vitamin D daily, and magnesium glysinate, vitamin A, zinc occasionally. I guess I could try giving them less diary for a while, and see if that helps.

 

[Henriette93]

This might be something that you’ve already tried, but prunes are typically helpful for both my little ones when they get stopped up. You can try stewing your own and adding a bunch of sugar or whatever they like, (honey, maple syrup, etc) or there are organic packets of them as well which are nice on the go snacks.

When they get sick of prunes I’ll rotate in raisins as well. They also seem to help. Another, less Peaty option, is Annie’s organics has honey bunny rabbit graham crackers. They do have some pufa, but vitamin E is the preservative used in them so it’s better than nothing. Again, to mix it up, I make what I call “trail mix” and add a few of the bunny rabbit “cookies” to the raisins or dried prunes or dates.

Prunes doesn't work unfortunately, I tried that alot when they were younger.. I don't think we have those crackers in Norway, how would they help?
They eat dates every now and then, but it doesn't seem to do anything about their constipation.

 

[Henriette93]

They should not be. Too much milk alone can also increase constipation. Actually it can be incredibly constipating for some people. They need to be eating primarily meat and eggs for proteins. You need to make a major switch in their diet from primarily milk/dairy to primarily fatty animal protein.

Read my second answer, posted before I was done writing by accident. But I'll try to give them less milk for a period, maybe that will help. They have never been drinking as much milk before as they do now, so that could be the reason it is worse now. But as I said, they are constantly constipated and have been since they were born. They didn't get much milk before I changed our diet about a year ago, maybe 1 glass daily previous to this.

 

[Peater]

Sufficient magnesium intake? Just recently I have discovered if I supplement riboflavin* that 'gets things moving', I think I lowered it too much with subultiamine.

I thought it was P5P but I just checked the bottle and it's just normal Swanson riboflavin.

 

[redsun]

But they have been constantly constipated since they were born.. If I don't give them cascara, they are constipated. They are very used to it, unfortunately, but it normally doesn't bother them too much. Some periods are worse, like now. But they are always constipated and have really large stool.
Their main source of proteins are red meat, pork, eggs etc, but they do drink alot of milk too. 3-4 glasses of whole milk every day. But they also drink orange juice every day, and they are getting a lot of fat. Coconut oil, butter, high fat diary, fatty meat. They eat clementines every day, drink OJ, yoghurt, potatoes, carrots. I've stopped giving them bread, and they consume very little pufa. They also eat white fish, but could be more often.
I give them vitamin D daily, and magnesium glysinate, vitamin A, zinc occasionally. I guess I could try giving them less diary for a while, and see if that helps.

How often are they eating eggs and how much?

Vitamin D can make it worse. So if they truly have been dealing with lifetime constipation issue, this points to a genetic problem. Hard to pinpoint what exactly but for example if they have genetic issues with the PEMT enzyme (relatively common) this can contribute to reduced gut motility due to reduced endogenous choline synthesis, making them even more dependent on dietary choline intake for gut motility.

It can also be genetically lower serotonin levels, or high adrenergic tone. Vitamin D can make it worse by lowering gut serotonin. Usually good for most people, but not everyone. Milk also is very high in iodine. Some people can have excessively high adrenergic tone, which slows gut movement. 3-4 cups of milk a day not only can slow it due to the opioids in the milk, but the high iodine on top of it can be enhancing adrenergic tone excessively. No easy answer here whrn it comes to genetic susceptibility but these are some examples.

 

[Henriette93]

How often are they eating eggs and how much?

Vitamin D can make it worse. So if they truly have been dealing with lifetime constipation issue, this points to a genetic problem. Hard to pinpoint what exactly but for example if they have genetic issues with the PEMT enzyme (relatively common) this can contribute to reduced gut motility due to reduced endogenous choline synthesis, making them even more dependent on dietary choline intake for gut motility.

It can also be genetically lower serotonin levels, or high adrenergic tone. Vitamin D can make it worse by lowering gut serotonin. Usually good for most people, but not everyone. Milk also is very high in iodine. Some people can have excessively high adrenergic tone, which slows gut movement. 3-4 cups of milk a day not only can slow it due to the opioids in the milk, but the high iodine on top of it can be enhancing adrenergic tone excessively. No easy answer here whrn it comes to genetic susceptibility but these are some examples.

Hmm, I guess maybe they eat arround 1 egg daily. Some days they eat 3, other days 0. I could try to give them more eggs and see if that will help, along with less milk. They drink organic low pasteurized milk. The milk contains 16 µg iodine per 100ml (11% of recommended daily intake), so milk alone can't be giving them too much iodine I guess? They only get iodine from diary and white fish. Norwegians are generally low in iodine, we don't get it anywhere else than from diary or white fish.
Serotonin could be a problem, they have been diagnosed with adhd and they have developmental difficulties, near autistic.. Any good suggestions to how to lower their serotonin?

 

[Henriette93]

Sufficient magnesium intake? Just recently I have discovered if I supplement riboflavin* that 'gets things moving', I think I lowered it too much with subultiamine.

I thought it was P5P but I just checked the bottle and it's just normal Swanson riboflavin.

Not really sure if they get enough magnesium, but they eat alot of fruit, vegetables and meat. I guess I could try to give them riboflavin and see if that could help.

 

[Peater]

Not really sure if they get enough magnesium, but they eat alot of fruit, vegetables and meat. I guess I could try to give them riboflavin and see if that could help.

The only thing with B vits is they can deplete each other so don't megadose them and maybe cycle between different ones.

Haidut does a good clean multi B vit supplement called energin, I've used it and have no complaints.

 

[Momma]

They are growing boys. 1 of my 3 kids had this. I was amazed that something so big could come out of without damaging their internal or external anus.

Please don’t shame them or make a big deal out of it. (Not saying you do)
Just give them things that may soften the stool a bit so it’s easier to break up and flush.

Mine grew out of it.

Thank goodness they get it out. That’s healthy.

 

[redsun]

Hmm, I guess maybe they eat arround 1 egg daily. Some days they eat 3, other days 0. I could try to give them more eggs and see if that will help, along with less milk. They drink organic low pasteurized milk. The milk contains 16 µg iodine per 100ml (11% of recommended daily intake), so milk alone can't be giving them too much iodine I guess? They only get iodine from diary and white fish. Norwegians are generally low in iodine, we don't get it anywhere else than from diary or white fish.
Serotonin could be a problem, they have been diagnosed with adhd and they have developmental difficulties, near autistic.. Any good suggestions to how to lower their serotonin?

If we use your numbers, one cup = 236 ml. Just one cup of milk may give around 38 mcg. But I have seen this number can vary. US average is 56-80mcg but can be over 100mcg per serving depending on where you live. So 4 cups of milk is not a crazy amount of iodine based on these numbers, assuming its accurate. But the opioid peptides in the milk can still be contributing.

Lower serotonin would lead to slower gut motility. So I am saying it could be potentially lower serotonin due to genetics contributing to constipation. But if they have developmental difficulties and "ADHD", this is likely not serotonin related but could still be low choline. If they have genetic issues with choline metabolism, this would link the gut motility issues
and developmental issues together. So I agree I would try to increase the egg intake and make it more consistent. Egg yolks can be added to many recipes as well. This should help development and brain function and gut motility along with slightly less dairy.

 

[Momma]

Just thought of something.
I told my child to poop then flush. It worked. The toilet paper was clogging up more than the stool itself.
They can always use wipes and deposit in the bathroom trash can as well if the stool won’t go down right away.

Hang in there.
This was an issue for us that seemingly went away rather quickly. Becoming less and less of an occurrence.

 

[redsun]

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This article gives a good summary about PEMT genetic variants. If you ever get dna testing such as 23andme this can be looked at. All of these variants are more common in those with european ancestry. In short, if someone has many of the negative alleles that correlate with choline deficiency this increases their need for dietary choline to meet their choline needs since you are less effective at synthesizing it internally using PEMT.

 

[ThazMYchocolate]

But they have been constantly constipated since they were born.. If I don't give them cascara, they are constipated. They are very used to it, unfortunately, but it normally doesn't bother them too much. Some periods are worse, like now. But they are always constipated and have really large stool.
Their main source of proteins are red meat, pork, eggs etc, but they do drink alot of milk too. 3-4 glasses of whole milk every day. But they also drink orange juice every day, and they are getting a lot of fat. Coconut oil, butter, high fat diary, fatty meat. They eat clementines every day, drink OJ, yoghurt, potatoes, carrots. I've stopped giving them bread, and they consume very little pufa. They also eat white fish, but could be more often.
I give them vitamin D daily, and magnesium glysinate, vitamin A, zinc occasionally. I guess I could try giving them less diary for a while, and see if that helps.

If they were constipated since birth, and they were premature, that makes me think they were on infant formula maybe? If so, it contains added iron and that has been known to cause constipation problems.

Are these the only supplements? If you are giving them a multivitamin maybe it's the iron causing issues. I hope it is that simple, poor kiddos. I am amazed at how big my little guy poops, it's bigger than mine, but, not as big as what you are describing.

 

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This article gives a good summary about PEMT genetic variants. If you ever get dna testing such as 23andme this can be looked at. All of these variants are more common in those with european ancestry. In short, if someone has many of the negative alleles that correlate with choline deficiency this increases their need for dietary choline to meet their choline needs since you are less effective at synthesizing it internally using PEMT.

Hey Redsun,

Would COMT and things like SAME also play a role with regard to PEMT?

 

[redsun]

Hey Redsun,

Would COMT and things like SAME also play a role with regard to PEMT?

Fast and slow COMT affect how quickly you deactivate catecholamines. PEMT is about endogenous choline synthesis.